Today I’m sharing a few of my favorite quick relaxation techniques for busy moms. These tips are things you can do in 5-10 minutes, from checking out funny animals to getting creative with adult coloring pages! Read on to check them out!

I’m on vacation this week. You wouldn’t really know it, because my “vacation” consists of doing ten thousand things that I don’t get around to in my actual work week. Oh, I’ll take a day or two off for real (thanks to the magic of scheduling posts), but honestly, I don’t really know HOW to relax! Spending hours meditating just isn’t in my schedule, not to mention it doesn’t work for me. Meditation makes me antsy. It’s apparently common for people with anxiety disorder. We don’t know how to quiet our brains and just “be.”

If I don’t find ways to relax, though, I go a little crazy. Maybe more than a little! I get wound up super tight, the adrenaline overloads my system and I end up curling up into a ball crying on my bed. So I’ve developed a few quick relaxation techniques that actually work for people like me. They’re great for anyone though, even if you do rock the meditation thing!

My Favorite Quick Relaxation Techniques

Insanely cute animals doing wacky things. Oh how I love videos and pictures of cats and dogs being goofy! Five minutes gazing at my hilarious animals board on Pinterest helps soothe the savage beast inside. If funny animals aren’t your thing, any sort of humor will work. Laughter is, after all, the best medicine for crazy busy moms on their last nerve!

Mentally living the dream. Before I go to bed every night, I imagine my dream house, dream library, dream vacation. Whatever big and lofty thing I’d love to have. I live in that house, take that vacation, build that library- all in my head. Since I can’t meditate and empty my head of thoughts, I fill it with beautiful things.

Pet your pet. Science has proven that petting a soft, fuzzy animal can help us relax and actually lower our blood pressure. When I’m totally stressed, I take a few minutes to snuggle with one of my furry kids. Lately, it’s been my kitten, because she loves snuggle time (on her terms). She reaches her little paws out to me and practically says “mama, pick me up!” Instant relaxation.

Revel in the ordinary. You’re stressed out because the car needs new brakes, rent is due and you’re exhausted from working. You wish you could afford a housekeeper, get a new car or move into a bigger home. You’re making your brain cry because you want what you can’t have. Instead, learn to find peace and joy in the ordinary. Mentally list five things that are awesome in your life, things that you’re grateful for. Healthy kids, a new book, an amazing new scented candle. You don’t need the world to be happy, you just need to learn how to make YOUR world happier.

Color your heart out! I cannot even begin to tell you how thrilled I am that adult coloring books have made a comeback! I used to spend hours coloring. Now that I don’t have as much time, I just tear out one page from my new Skyhorse coloring books that I received for review, grab my son’s stash of crayons and markers, and color for ten minutes.

More About Skyhorse Adult Coloring Books

Skyhorse Publishing makes several different amazingly beautiful adult coloring books, including two of my favorites, Art Nouveau and Whimsical Designs. Each page is perforated so you can pop it out and color on the go. Every book comes with 16 pages of full-color inspiration, followed by 46 pages of fun black-and-white designs for you to color.

Did you know that coloring can actually help boost your creativity and may even reduce anxiety? It definitely helps me fight back panic and anxiety attacks, making me feel less stressed out in minutes. Clinical psychologist Kimberly Wulfert of EverydayHealth.com explains that “In coloring, you’re being mindful, and when you move in a rhythmic fashion for an extended period of time, that becomes a meditation.” This makes it perfect for people like me who can’t actually sit and meditate the “traditional” way.

With 12 books in the series, you’ll find patterns that you love, whether you prefer mandala and zen designs or actual pictures to color. I may not be perfect at coloring inside the lines every time, but I still found creating this design incredibly peaceful!

So go ahead and break out the crayons and markers. Stop stealing them from your kids, it’s time to get your own! Check out Skyhorse Publishing for all your adult coloring book needs!

Free Printable Adult Coloring Pages

Ready for some freebies? Click the pictures (or the link below) to download free printable adult coloring pages! The actual printable coloring pages are much nicer than the small pictures, I had to shrink them a bit so I could fit them on the page. 🙂

28 Comments

Thanks so much for the printables. I’ve been wanting to do these and now I’m going to get started! 🙂 And while my bearded and frilled dragons are necessarily the “petting” type of pets, they do cuddle and bring a lot of smiles LOL!

It’s funny to come across this on a fellow blogger’s site this week because a group of us were just talking about adult’s coloring for relaxation at Affiliate Summit last week! I think it is really becoming so much more popular (and acceptable!) for adults to say that they like to color to relax. We used to just steal our kids’ books but now we can find them made exclusively for us. I have to say that I am not someone who has ever tried it, but after hearing so much about it, I am going to. I usually read to relax…nothing business related. Young adult, romance, fantasy—basically anything to take my brain to another place.

I’m so glad that I came across your post because it seems like adult coloring books are all the rage right now. I saved all of the ones you included and will definitely try them out (along with a glass of wine).

I definitely need an outlet to relax and I keep reading about adult coloring books. The one you showcased are so perfect for what I am looking for. I am definitely bookmarking your post becaause I want to buy them for Christmas gifts.

Okay I am so glad I read your post. You just described me with the anxiety and I me literally. I haven’t yet did the coloring but that is something right up my alley because I used to love painting. Thanks so much for sharing.

Hello, I’m kind of late finding this one, but I wondered, are these basically copyright free? I’d like to use a couple of the designs as an embroidery or beading pattern on dresses I’m making for my daughters. I don’t think they’ll really be totally recognizable as your designs, but just the base or starting point. I really love your books & have two or three of them! They’re wonderful!